Masaka accident caused by human mistake: Traffic boss

Masaka accident caused by human mistake: Traffic boss

The Director of Police Traffic, Assistant General of Police, Steven Kasiima, has said that it was human error that was the cause of the accident on Masaka road at Kalandazi, in which nine people died and 12 were injured.

Kasiima said that the driver of the taxi was trying to overtake a Toyota Premio when the accident happened, “The accident yesterday on Idi day at 3 a.m. at Kalandazi area between Kamengo and Buwanga was a human mistake done by the taxi driver who was coming from Masaka to Kampala as he recklessly overtook a Premio coming from Kampala to Masaka. This is a very dangerous place and the accident took place before our check point,” Kasiima added.

According to Kasiima the average rate at which accidents occur on highways has reduced by almost 50% in the past three years since the launch of the Operation Fika Salama. However, more campaign is still needed, especially on other roads that are not highways. “Taxi drivers and all other drivers must know that even traffic offences are crimes and the Traffic Police is entitled to act in the same way as other crimes, because when they start arresting bad drivers and abusers of traffic the public comes in and starts condemning us, ”, Kasiima added.

Accordingly, there is a campaign of: “Speak Out”, intended to encourage passengers to speak out to the careless drivers. “People should starts speaking out to the responsible authorities who can help and shape these bad drivers. We are in a high tech generation, where people can use their phones to watsapp the Traffic Police,’ Kasiima said.

The campaign of is assisted by some NGO from Western countries. It will work out because it has been done in both Kenya and Tanzania, Kasiima said